What does it take for a quick fix ? A photo opportunity , pictures of you in the public mix ? Front page headline ! Standing by a storm sewer like Hernando DeSoto ,  exploring a wild expanse of territory ! Are you General Pershing ? Leading the " Doughboys " into battle on the western front or the new Panama Canal in west central Georgia ! It just so happens that I could possibly be the fourth cousin removed of our benevolent Mayor , an admission certain to generate a call to action , genetic predisposition to selfishly imbibe , supplicate ulterior motives , altruistic behaviors , uniformity of life in general ! Organisms in the battle of propagation , securing the ranks for future generations ! Each step plotted , precious energy allotted , risk reward calculations , minimal expenditures create maximum benefit , the secret to longevity , the Fountain of Youth , trapped in a culvert , water seeks its own level , 'tis a fact your honor ! For as waste trapped within cell walls , you to shall pass , your biochemical makeup will one day rain upon this Earth , trapped in a ditch in Chattahoochee Hills , with an indifferent public official oblivious to your plight , trying to complete life's cycle with all your might !

The young will shade their fallen progeny
The land traveller is halted by the sea
Revolution will eventually fill every street ..

Trinkets and what-nots work full moon sorcery on lonely nights , recalling the past both good and bad , staring from shelves without -
blinking , knowing full well what their prey are thinking
Waiting for tonights victim to hit the hay
Inducing nightmares , devilment , sanity held at bay , logic for ransom , Colonel Nutcracker so debonair and handsome , waiting for the final candle to be snuffed , to gather with your comrades on the 'Dutchmasters Cigar box ...  Night of tomfoolery and mischievous happenstance , of devious aim , and unscrupulous circumstance* ...

Kicking pine cones , hands in pockets with my favorite scarf on ..
Outfitted like a business man with something important to decide ,
a lawyer testing a juries intellect , like an important subversive agent with a clandestine government ...
Walking the fence line , dressed to save the world someday , my flashy duds turning heads , yet their only clothes , and clothes never did make the man so they say !
Fancy leather gloves , gold cuff links , cashmere sweater with well planned schemes ..
Upscale hero with a prominent address , four star restaurants , high end assets ..
Caviar and red wine , penthouse vista .. Fancy cigars and first class tickets ..
I'm still Cocoa Cola , cheese and crackers , homemade biscuits ..
Forever overalls , laying hens and sour mash whiskey ..

A whiff of wild onion ..
The sting of skin to metal ..
Crystal ploughland ,
mechanical mules , RC Cola-
thermometers & diesel perfume ..
Clanging cattle gates , Carolina-
sky , dissonant disc seeking grease ,
a chaw or two o' Levi if you please ...

Auburn mares and black stallions
A lonesome period ranch bathed in chicory
Dusk , field dust clinging to lower pasture , tractors
race with sundown , o'er checkerboard fields , 'cross
firebreaks , wooden fencerow and worked field furrow
Rolling persimmon braided shadow , cool blue palette
of the Evening Star , of the orange sky divide , of hay wagon ,
bale , callous and blister , Killdeer crying for the gibbous Moon ,
of black backgrounds that cradle a billion stars with Hill Country
Whippoorwill sonatas* ..

Everybody stand back ! I'm a poet* !

And the award for the most awards will go to the
previously awarded award winner for award winning work
in garnering numerous awards as recognized by the awarders ...

Curious birds circled to the left of center
Glossy orchards bedecked the meticulous ,
sparkling commons
Period , white fence rails , beige winter
fields , brick buildings with dancing hedgerows
Air filled with wild spearmint , December oak
fires carried on Tennessee breezes
Palmetto blue windows , pink dogwood blossom
brushstrokes stippled into morning ivory* ...

Red wine seals the cracks ,
opens the door
levels the field
good smoke brings the growling to an end
canned potato chips nourish the body
and the young soul
lipstick smeared cigarette butts ,
slim fast cans , powder cut on an
album sleeve , counting this ,
counting that
someones ***** , his majesties
**** toy
a 45 record skipping
a lizards tongue shoved into his mouth
probing , violating , poisoning
white wine fills the moat
overspills , rushes into the basement ,
flushing the vermin from nooks and
crannies
nostrils packed with feces
ignored , ridiculed , used  ... This butterfly amongst the ravens
This polliwog mingling with the frogs

A tea light for two ..
Cinnamon eyes that occupy my every thought ..
Her melody caresses my curious ear ,
Leaving me breathless ...

Pitiful October sunbeam
Warm nutmeg concoctions
Visible morning tide breath , cherry cheekbones ,
gas lamps , golden leaves o'er cobblestone
Silvered gardens , blue eyes hold pine grove
reflections , knitted scarves , Fair- day candy apple
obsessions
Magenta Dusk , harvest time orb , funnel cake
wisp in the fleeting , western Sun
Barkers , musicians , cider and ale
The windy pull of nights clutter , the Autumn wail

Childhood crushes , hiding in bushes , first kisses
Buzzing , unaware of the crutch of love
Standing by night fires , peering across the -
timothy carpet , embers crackling in route -
to heaven
Spinning the Pepsi bottle on a loud Cicada
evening , setting marshmallows afire , wondering
out loud over the Moon and stars
Our breath visible* .....

Early morning in Putnam county , blue  , pink and yellow sky at daybreak  on a frosty November morning , freezing temperature exposing our breath as we alert the beagles of our presence.......The beagles know !!!!
Shot gun loaded , dogs released into thick Georgia pines and water oaks , depth perception and distance obscured . Within minutes the baying of the hounds begin , long and drawn , further each second filled by high pitched whimpers signaling the start..Song of rural Georgia , my Uncle and I on guard , the pack alerts the hunter of the cottontails arrival ....
We double time in the direction of the baying , the quarry is returning from start ,frozen ground crunching beneath our boots ....The dogs have returned , a single shot is fired and the contest has ended for now but repeated several more times that day....We return red faced from the cold ,  the smell of gunpowder and tobacco . The beagles at rest , we prepare our harvest for a feast at a later date ....Back indoors , coffee and a good day of hunting !

Spider silk is alive , clinging to window frames on blustery air
as cold rain strips the trembling trees bare
The ever changing colors of November render thoughts free falling and
untethered , emotions under control by impatient winter weather
Dancing vortices , colored parachutes vying for the surety
of the uncertain earth* ...

Tension at a turn
Tension at the graded curve
At the waters surface , inside
a minuscule world , at the first hello
and the final goodbye , at the flowers
sunlit birth , at the glorious final flight from earth
Crying for more , crying with good reason
Crying for recognition , crying for peace and evolution
Secret society and secret handshakes , secret recipes
for secret cakes , secret love and secret hideaways
Secret gardens , secret mistakes* ..

I peered upward into a thousand colored shapes-
Bathed in a cool living pond
The Bells of Heaven mingled with the-
tones of this raging fountain
Jesus Christ surely stood above this waterfall
So be it ...

My Jesus would be seated on a baby grand with his -
arms folded listening to Radiohead
I can see him peeking over Vedder's shoulder with -
a big grin as he scribbled lyrics on a napkin
Quietly moving backstage as Jerry Cantrell's guitar-
screamed sweet pain
Standing in the rain while McCartney plays Blackbird
Sitting in the cheap seats with Scott Weiland
Amused , enlightened & reserved ...

My muse , the springtime earth
The smoke of chimney
fires just as the daystar expires ,
with burnt orange goodbyes ,
'tis a diddy begging lyrics , a melody
in the moment , a dash of fleeting sunlight
in the Shangri-La forest ,
Copper , lavender , technicolor salutations
Mourning dove recitations* ...

Beware ye lovers , take heed upon this rocky path , walking hand in hand with humorous , indifferent attitude toward a contentious , imperious fool , transformed into defeated man ! Be mindful albeit leery of love ! Keep it ambiguous as physical attraction and the stars above ! Fresh warm staves grow cold , stale then mold . A heart too often turned callous in the blink of an eye ! Abandoned ex lovers with no place to call home ..Walk along this very river tonight . Alone ..Broken .. Cold ...

The aleatory bridge of our love ,
a perfect note connecting the song -
within our hearts
The musical phrase of Sandpipers -
on lonely beachheads
The call of thunder , the intonation -
of the Angelic Host
Mercurial , agape instrumentation -
of dawns forest floor
Waterbird cadence , enlightened by the
apricot Sun
Crashing wave , carving stone , forever unexplored
Improvisational
Overwhelming .. Love ..

Embers dance among the stars
Eyes grow heavy
Love is ready -
to meld with hot cocoa -
and marshmallows ,
with moonshine and shadow* ...

Shivering tree incantations incite the first Wren-song of the
morn
Long Pines fulcrum to touch dawns blue ceiling
Dales become sun-washed and quite talkative
Sharing the new day with rolling fields , Robin harper romantics
With the antics of fledgling flyers , ground squirrel , vivid swirling leaf
Tantric Chestnut providers , yellow
dancer Oaks , copper vistas reaching for
the curve of earth
Windsong , celebration , dutiful
Crescendo , becoming , vibrato
Upper tier , kinetic allegories receiving
life's opening breath* ...

A splash of green clover beneath bare feet
A hot Pekoe tea with a smidgen of honey
A hardwood canopy with a Mossy Oak
to rest upon
The first cool day of Fall to turn you on* ...

There's a sparrow perched on the wrought
iron porch , a light blue dragonfly taking off from
the Sweet gum canopy flying in hard , eye -level over our perfectly
cut yard
The aromatic flora of Spring lies at every turn , the air
filled with the candy of stirring life , the sight of a busy Wild
Turkey hen this morning brought a brief smile
Cool air is shadow boxing the afternoon humid heat ,
rolling Crow laughter as they dine on a broken watermelon
feast
The first drummer of May is sounding the call for Alabama rain
Thick , whirling , untapped forces are being summoned , the nape of my
neck quickened with rising hairs , goose bumps run down both arms ,
the unmistakeable scent of petrichor has captured my presence with abundant
charm and siren song , the tree frogs come alive , quite aware of the 'goings on'
Much needed rain is coming up the valley , spilling down the pursed pastureland ,
caressing the scrub forest with blessed song , filling the arid basin of woodland
chemistry , refreshing the air of its pollen borne misery

Love is beside the bonfire
Let it be the freedom of -
smoldering desire
Unchained ...
Bound for the heavens
Relentless ...

You could find me at the window
searching frantically for a way out* ..

To the herdsman counting his flock in the moonlight
The plowman repairing his tractor by lantern- light
The wood splitter , the fence builder , framer and rail tender
Architects of frozen December morns
Unsung engineers , freight worker and brakemen
'Twould be a privilege indeed to sup cold beer with the countries heroes , privy to stories of hardship and raw weather days endured by these American patriots
Iron tooled with steel , the churning grist mill , diesel engine roar ,
black earth turned anew , billowing steam settled over valley floors
Masters of metal , brake and die , machine and anvil
The crack of the peen long before sunrise
'Tis the bailiwick of farmer and tradesman* ..

A political statement will promptly decay from the moment of its -inception to the hour of its reincarnation ...

Corporate greed + 1000 money making schemes x
0 (thoughtful musicality) = 0 originality ...

I hear the four o'clock bound for Columbus
It sound's like a harmonica wavering low and
running south
I can feel the ground tremble
The store windows reverberate
Every wheel churning
Every length of track burning
Hurry on down , thundering freight
through tiny towns* ...

Her instrument was a secret violated
A clean "paper cut " with the perfect edge
Barefoot on the minds ledge
Exhausted with rage
Entertained by a constable -
dying to clock out
The State containing the -
game of pity in a rout
Watched by a hundred or more
Welcome to the Federal Stage
Her potions have engaged
My thoughts have become a rogue -
wave
Tomorrow will be a maze
Grazing for normalcy
Tactical , covert , quick -
diplomacy ...

Homemade Bluebird house's of varying color and shape
Lovely butterflies hand painted by 'Angels' dot the landscape
Red Wasp warm themselves on proud , Sun drenched shrubbery
Daffodils and Sweetgum Trees , the banter of Cardinal and Blue Jay ,
Wood Ducks flying over a world of discovery ..
Carpenter bees do challenge , a green lizard seizing a few winks on a wrought iron bannister .. A pink flowering Plum tree with a performing Carolina Wren , a brown Praying Mantis on a window screen ..
Lady Bugs riding warm breezes , Natures abundant annuities , every step a golden opportunity ..

Mankind , rose gardens and vegetable plot ,  similar as blossom can be killed with kindness , burned under the scrutiny of artificial light , like deceitful people , hidden from sunlight by the greedy , vegetable and fruit picked before maturity , abandoned fruit on the ground giving hope of rebirth , pray for wisdom of Kokopelli ,removing weeds that choke life's abundant flowers .....................

The meat of Spring grass lays forever flavorful ! Retracing my footsteps along the terraced fields of my childhood , bucolic recollections that give way to intense memory on country mornings ...
Rural niceties , fervent farm obligations passed from 'Father to Son , Mother to Daughter ..' Laborious in sow and harvest .. Forever thankful ..

Morning air quickened our skin
We waited patiently for dawn to -
begin
Built fires with construction debris
Mentally prepared ourselves for what the day -
might bring
We slowly peeled our garments as the
work set in , the song of the gas piper
played again* ..

The pang of nighttime hunger
The loving draw of the evening kitchen
Needle point napkins and lace
Accouterments methodically placed
Clean hands & red Winter faces
Laughter , reflection & grace ....

My lifeblood is set adrift from the foreshore bottom land of Camp Creek .. To mingle with her fauna , patiently transfixed with the finality of life
giving sea ...Bound for the salted waters of coastal Georgia  , longing for the surety of the Atlantic's welcome embrace , for the solace of shrieking gulls , the camaraderie of sea oat and white sands , for the first rays of her morning Sun ...

In dark and dreary Georgia swampland , in the midnight hour with the light of the Moon as your only friend .. Yellow and red eyes glow in the shadows , cottonmouths and gators slowly cross the waters ...
Bullfrogs sing in the Cattails , Horned Owls screech across the timberlands .. Bobcats scream , sound just like a woman late at night ,
they'll catch you off guard every time , make your beard turn white from fright ..Mosquitos are relentless , the humidity hell , blood ******* leeches , brown bats and rabid foxes .. Wild hogs work the bogs left and right , don't ever get caught by a razorback without a good plan or corner a '****' by accident , kick a Snapper thinking it's just a rock , or pick up a Rattlesnake looking for a walkin' stick .. Rumors of black panthers and 'shine wild men ', Confederate soldier ghost and quicksand .. Always lay a trail from where you started are you'll spend all night in haunted , Georgia swamp country ...

Cold weather miracles ..
Unique , frosted , fed up -
entities driven by the cool wind of change
Spanning King George's namesake
Coating the land
Lot to lot
Realigning the governed
Dot by dot ...
Tolling bells
The depth growing ever larger as the -
blizzard swells ....

Meadowlarks in the canebrake
Twilight hints with fuchsia trickery
Animated waning Moon , sylvan
troubadours in perfect tune
September Season of the Witch ,
Barn Owls cry out in perfect pitch
Starlings crowd field barns , Mockingbirds
spin Ghostly yarns , brown leaves crumble
in the eerie wind , Stallions whinny sending
shivers across bare skin
Cowbells clang in the pitch black night
Coyotes howl from the hillside
Tin roofs clap under their own power
Wind chimes sparkle and call , hour after hour* ....

Life enthralls us for a brief time , ultimately commanding a high price
for tantalizing , perfect windowed views of impeccable awe , entertained by the infinitesimal stars of twilight , crepuscular, mesmerizing songs of animal in harmony with falling waters , the hue of windswept mountain blue wildflowers
Tis a great gift indeed , our days of awareness and wonder

Turning natures lyrics to prose
My loves to fruition , simple soft questions-
to hardened truth
Ancient forest to majestic actuality , hidden meaning to reality
Gasping , winter exhalation becoming
the voice of reason
Old departed friends come to call on red carpet hallways  , where logic is calculated with simple arithmetic
The rambling of philosophic writing halted with a well placed period

Renewed shades of green
Blackbirds rejoicing among the -
wavering trees
Songs of springtide revival
Performers freed of winters bridle
April wind chimes that tingle to -
and fro
Wild Turkey's that forage the -
pecan row
Churning brooks with thoughts -
of the ocean
The 'fairyfly' dancers in evening devotion ...

-

Today has to be a lady
Blue eyes
Brown cinnamon locks caressing -
a floor length dress of forest green-
& umber ..
Soft moss beneath bare feet
Shadow black admirers traipse ,-
watch & gently mimic every move-
beside her ...

Today must be a lady
Warm undertones
Whispers that tickle the ear
Wood-line mannequins guard-
our periphery
Mirrored waters craving her reflection
Jays portend loves arrival
The blessed harbinger of the
new day revival ...

Her skin appeared prematurely wrinkled with
anguish filling her face
She dragged a menthol cigarette , staring into space
Her teeth were decayed , a cheap radio played
She tapped her pinky finger to Travis Tritt
She wore a Lynyrd Skynyrd t-shirt , she openly
railed against Obama and the "clandestine government"
Her friends were truckers , pensioners and the
local jobless
She was chatty with the boiled peanut man ,
her friend on the cell phone , anyone willing to
strike up a conversation* ...

Red wasp stopped by the window
Man stopped by the world ,
only the surface of said world he truly
knows , running from fire , calmed by rainbows ,
on one knee praising mountains , before oceans
declaring them to be gods , amused with frogs ,
chaining dogs , slaughtering cattle , turning his
brethren into pawns
Explorers smashed in windshields
Warring , painful sequels
Always on the surface of the window
Seeking more* ...

A warped neck on a Fender Strat , a broken bottle of Johnnie Walker Black . Torn felt on a mahogany billiard table , catfish fillets scorched on the fire , rendered inedible ..
A marvelous , precision tractor engine seized from loss of oil , a bumper crop of peaches killed by frost ..
An empty bottle of malt vinegar , wind blown lovely cherry pipe tobacco lost forever ..
Red ripe homegrown tomatoes shredded by hail , soft shelled pecans dropped in the well ..
First snowflakes of Winter melted on warm city streets , green grass left to die beneath a cloth sheet ..
Concord grapes dried on the vine , watermelon picked before it's time ..
Homemade biscuits burnt in the oven , true love within reach left undiscovered ..

I see that God has serious five o'clock shadow brewing
His evening hair is illogical
A piece of corn between aged , yellowing teeth ..
Hairy ears , wrinkled forehead , ***** neck
Work shirt , t-shirt , sock cap , glasses ,
Goody powders & Marlboros ...

Eastern grays and I are much alike .. We forever forage with a preference for the sunny side of the yard ..
Our world is in constant motion , forever planning for another place and time ..
Entertaining the green meadow by the forest edge , with one eye on the foreboding skyline ..
Tucked away quiet at Dusk and a wee bit leery about the coming Dawn ..